While Congress MPs Marotrao Kowase, Anil Lad and Jayantrao Avale denied signing the letter, their party colleagues Pradip Bhattacharya and Joy Abraham said they did not remember whether they signed such a plea.

The government’s stand was that it was not right for anyone to involve a third country in domestic issues while the Congress said it was a “non-issue.”

Preneet Kaur, minister of state for external affairs, said, “It’s not right for anyone to ask like this. It's for the US to decide. We should solve our issues at home." Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh said, "We have nothing to do with it. It is up to the US govt to issue visa to Modi."

AICC spokesperson Raj Babbar said, "The nation is bigger than politics...We do not know what individuals are doing. The issue has not been discussed in any fora of the party nor that of Parliament. It is a non-issue (for us)."

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javedkar, however, said, "Many of the signatories have denied they having been signed this memorandum. This shows that it was a conspiracy. It is a Congress’ dirty trick department which is at work now."

Sudarshan Bhagat, BJP MP from Lohardaga, wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker, calling for a probe into the “mysterious” letter. "These are serious charges and amount to forgery. I have demanded that the Speaker should order an impartial inquiry and action should be taken against those responsible," he said.

Yechury said in a statement that "I don't remember having signed any such letter... It is neither in my character nor in the principles of my party- the CPI(M)- to petition any sovereign country on matters that fall strictly within the sovereign domain of that country."

But independent MP Mohammed Adeeb, who took the initiative for the letter, said, "I am ready for an inquiry by any authority, be it by Parliament or police. I am ready to quit public life if proved wrong. Yechury’s signature was obtained by Azeez Pasha (former MP). It’s unfortunate Yechury has denied it.”

I don't believe that a person like Yechury can say like this. I have his signature. His name is on number 9. How can I paste it? I am a MP and I cannot do such a thing. If he thinks I have cheated him, I will take him to court."

Adeeb said he took the initiative for this campaign due to the latest campaign in support of Modi and initiative being taken by BJP President Rajnath Singh for getting a US visa for Modi.

Yechury pointed out that the letter was typed on the letterhead of a MP carrying, “ the insignia of our national symbol, the Ashok Chakra. The heading under which some signatures are appended says, 'names and signatures of Indian MPs'. Strange, which other country's MPs would sign on the letterhead of the Indian Parliament? This itself suggests some efforts at cut and paste."

Minister of state for agriculture NCP leader Tariq Anwar said, “the cases are still pending against Modi and any revoking of the ban on him at this juncture would be seen as a dismissal of the issues concerning his role in the 2002 riots.”

It is the dirtiest part of politics of Indian politicians that 65 elected representatives (Member of Parliament of various political parties ) of India have made an appeal to US president Mr. Obama not to issue VISA to Mr. Modi to visit USA.

It appears Mr. Obama is the headmaster of the Parliamentarians in particular and India as a whole.

On the one hand . India says that any bilateral issue between Indian and Pakistan or with any other foreign countries cannot be allowed to be intervened by third country and on the other MPs make an appeal to US president Obama to punish Modi for his so called negligence in Gujarat, ie in India.

On the one hand leaders of several parties including Muslims Parliamentarians blame USA for Human Right violations and on the other same brand of MPs expect justice from Obama , the US president-----Shameful IndeedRead full text of my views by clicking on following link .

MPs Request Obama USA president to help them in defeating Modi, A day will come when some other MPs will request USA to remove Manmohan Singh and Congress Party from power for their role in Sikh Riot

BJP president Rajnath Singh with Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu to be elected to US Congress and the current vice-chairperson of the Democratic National Committee, in Washington on Tuesday. (PTI)

New Delhi, July 24: The BJP believes the row over a purported letter from some MPs against a US visa for Narendra Modi will boost his popularity and win him a “much larger constituency of supporters”, beyond the party’s faithful.

The party seems convinced the letter to Barack Obama — which seeks to take calls for a “permanent ban” on a visa for Modi to the White House — could eventually sharpen political battle lines along “national-anti-national” themes.

Several of the 65 lawmakers whose purported signatures the letter carries have denied signing it. This has prompted the BJP to demand a probe into possible forgery and point a finger at the Congress.

The visa letter row has come weeks after the BJP injected the “national-anti-national” polemics into the debate over Ishrat Jahan’s encounter in Gujarat that had raised questions over Modi’s role.

The party’s case was that Ishrat, killed by Gujarat police in questionable circumstances, was a “Lashkar terrorist” and her defence by other parties was tantamount to endorsing “anti-nationalist forces”.

In the BJP where his detractors often dart barbs at Modi unmindful of internal protocol, his backers claim that the more intense the attacks from “Muslim representatives and liberals”, the greater the “groundswell of solidarity” for him.

“His detractors are, ironically, his greatest well-wishers. They ensure that not only does he stay in the news, his goodwill ratings in the social media and on the ground also soar in direct proportion to their abuses,” a BJP office-bearer said.

“The chattering class made much of his ‘kutte ka bachcha’, ‘Hindu nationalist’ and ‘burqa of secularism’ comments. Walk on the ground and ask the common Hindu. He is furious with the elite for accusing a man who says he is a patriotic and nationalist Hindu,” the leader added.

The BJP believes the “action-reaction” syndrome could regroup voters along the communal breach in cities and towns.

Today, an action-reaction sequence appeared to play out over the purported visa letter. RSS leader Ram Madhav labelled it a “shame” and got into a slanging bout on Twitter with one Aliuddin Aquil, who introduced himself as a “storm management specialist and a proud Muslim”.

Aquil shot back: “In same breath please have courage to talk about Rajnath Singh begging for US visa for Modi, that too in public meeting?”

Madhav, a former Sangh spokesperson, defended the counter-allegation against BJP president Rajnath, who is in the US and has appealed to Washington to reconsider its post-Gujarat riots stand not to give Modi a visa.

Madhav remonstrated on Twitter: “Rajnath has not talked about asking the US for Modi visa. You are as usual carrying on with vendetta.”

Barbs flew off the Internet too. BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar alleged that the petition was the “handiwork of the Congress’s dirty tricks department” and demanded a probe, especially after many of the MPs denied having put their signatures on any such letter.

Javadekar’s party colleague and fellow spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted: “A third umpire in the US for an Indian political fight? Sponsored activists don’t trust Indian courts. Seeking external assistance to prop up their unjust cause.”

US says Narendra Modi's visa application will be considered if he applies -India Today

The US on Wednesday said that if Gujarat Chief MinisterNarendra Modi applies for a visa his application will be considered in accordance with the American immigration law and policy.

"If (the Gujarat) Chief Minister Modi applies for a visa, his application will be considered to determine whether he qualifies for a visa, in accordance with US immigration law and policy," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki, told reporters at her daily news conference.

"Our policy on this has not changed," Psaki said when asked about the Modi's US visa application.

"I think I just said we will consider his application if he applies, and I'm not going to get ahead of where we are at this time," she reiterated, when asked for the second time during the news conference.

"But as you know, we don't talk about the specifics of that process or individual cases, but he would, of course, be considered if he were to apply," Psaki said.

The State Department's remarks came as the visiting BJP president Rajnath Singh was winding up his three-day hectic visit to Washington, during which he met a host of US lawmakers, think tanks and academicians.

Singh, told the Indian-American media in Washington, that he did not raise the issue of Modi's visa with the US.

He said that this is an issue for the US Government to take a call on.

"This is not our issue. This is an issue for US Administration," he said.

Responding to a question, Singh said Modi is a "very very" popular leader of the country.